Dr Tony Chadwick, who died in January 1991, founded the Philosophical
Society in 1972. He was Staff Tutor in Philosophy at what is now Oxford
University Department for Continuing Education (OUDCE) which is based at
Rewley House, Oxford. In honour of its
founder, the Essay Prize was established by the Society in 1993, with the
aim encouraging and supporting participation in philosophy.
Prizes are awarded annually. Essay submissions for prizes are accepted
from any member of the Society, any OUDCE (Oxford Lifelong Learning)
student of any day, evening, weekend or Summer school philosophy course,
or any students of philosophy groups who have connections with the
Society.
Show/hide prize details
and submission instructions
First Prize is awarded annually for the best essay submitted. The prize is
£220, consisting of a £100 cash prize and £120 towards an OUDCE (Oxford
Lifelong Learning) philosophy course of any kind taken within the next
twelve (12) months.
There is a £75 prize for the runner-up. This prize is known as the Boethius Prize. There is a £25
prize for the best essay written by someone whose age is less than 30.
This is aimed at encouraging young philosophers. This prize is known as
the Lyceum Prize.
After the winners are decided, all submitted essays are forwarded to the
Editor of the Society's Annual Review. Winning essays are published
automatically, the rest may also be published at the Editor's discretion,
subject to the same criteria as any essays submitted directly to the
Review.
If you are selected as a winner, you agree that your name and your essay
will be included on Society's website and in the Annual Review; and your
name and the title of your essay will be included in the Society's
newsletter.
Essays can be sent as either hard copy or email, to arrive not later
than 1st July. For details (including eligibility criteria) and for
some advisory guidelines, please see the Chadwick Prize Rules.
Please add a separate cover sheet, with your name and contact information,
plus details of how you qualify to enter this competition (e.g. membership
of the Society, or which class you have attended), and a signed statement
saying "This essay is entirely my own original work".
If submitting an essay to the Chadwick prize, please do not submit the
same (or similar) to the Review, as this may compromise your anonymity.
All submitted essays will be automatically forwarded to the Review Editor
for consideration, unless you specifically request for this not to happen.
